The Unpromised Future
by Alisa Yang
Summary: Kaito Kuroba gets an unexpected surprise when his daughter from the future arrives to save the life of his future self. There's just one slight problem. It's the identity of her mother.
1. Chapter 1: Drop In

Chapter 1: Drop In

A package. Kaito set his book bag down on the concrete step and picked up the plain brown box outside the door to his house. It was addressed to him with the sender address marked on top. Las Vegas, from his mom. He sighed.

What kind of stupid souvenir did she send him this time? At this rate there wouldn't any anything left in Las Vegas for him to see if she kept sending him something from every hotel she passed through. He knew the names of half the casinos on the Strip already without having set foot out of Japan.

Kaito fished out his keys and opened the door. At least the box wasn't heavy. It was a little bigger than a tablet, and maybe as thick as an apple. He tucked it under an arm as he picked up his bag and walked inside.

He got a knife, not one of those used for eating, from a drawer in the kitchen and carefully cut through the packing tape. With that severed, it was easy to pull apart the flaps and open the box.

There were packing peanuts inside. Of course. Because who would ever want to see what someone had actually sent them.

Irritated, Kaito brushed them aside and pulled out what appeared to be a wooden picture frame, stained a deep reddish brown. It would probably have been classy, if someone hadn't strung a die cast replica of the world's largest indoor roller coaster along the top of it.

What was he supposed to do with this? He wasn't much for photos, though when he thought about it something this cheesy was probably right up Aoko's alley. She'd love to have something from Las Vegas, and his mom would forgive him for giving it to Aoko. Probably.

As he held the frame in his hand he realized that the kitchen was getting oddly warm for an autumn afternoon. In fact, it felt like summer, and it was getting hotter the longer he thought about it. He could almost imagine he was hearing a kettle whistle, but it wasn't a kettle, and it sounded like it was coming from above him.

What the hell?

He looked up in time for the whistle to blow out into a full fledged scream as something colorful and blinding opened in the air above him. A shape dropped through and they collided, knocking him to the floor and pushing all the air out of his lungs.

Kaito panted and blinked, just trying to get his eyesight back to the point where he would stop seeing hazy rings of color floating before him. He was vaguely aware that he was still holding the picture frame in his right hand, but his left was pinned by the body of the person, the _girl_ , who had somehow fallen on top of him.

She groaned, apparently not in much better shape than he was, and lifted her head. As soon as their eyes met she jumped off of him, and accidentally kneeing him in the gut, causing him to wheeze.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

The girl looked around, fretting, and then noticed she was still holding something that he couldn't quite see due to all the rings still floating in front of him. He couldn't figure out why she found that surprising, but she knelt and took off a backpack, which she opened and put something wide and flat inside.

Kaito groaned and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "What just happened? And how did you get in here?"

He supposed she was kind of cute, probably about his age, with long black hair and an expressive face, but there had to be more to her than that. Her school uniform wasn't one he recognized, and that backpack she had was bigger than what she needed for school. One would think she was going camping.

She looked around the kitchen again as if trying to figure out where she was, and then said, "This is probably going to be hard to believe, but I used a time travel spell."

Kaito forced a laugh, but played it as genuine. All he needed. A friend of Akako's. Another witch. "Are you kidding?"

"No, really!" The girl's eyes widened with earnest. "You are Kaito Kuroba, right?"

"Yes, but this magic spell thing..."

"I'm Himiko. I'm your daughter from the future."

"Okay, that's something creepier than I expected."

She shook her head. "You haven't found Pandora yet, have you? Please tell me you haven't. It's the only thing that's going to save my father... you... in the future."

"Much creepier," he said aloud, but inside his head spun.

Only Jii and the criminal organization that killed his father should know about his mission to find Pandora. Akako knew magic, but she didn't know _why_ he put on the persona of Kaitou Kid and committed the crimes he did. Assuming the girl coming here was some setup of Akako's, there was no way she should know about it.

"Look, I know it's crazy, but you have to believe me." Himiko inhaled deeply, clearly summoning a speech she had rehearsed before. "You're Kaitou Kid, the famous jewel thief. You're looking for a gem with an inclusion, a gem within a gem, called Pandora, that will grant immortality. Grandpa has a secret room in your house where he kept things from his own heists before you took over. Grandma's always traveling. She's loves Las Vegas and she's hardly ever home. You go to Ekoda High School. You're an amateur magician. You hate fish."

Kaito waved a hand to cut her off, and she stopped so abruptly he thought she might choke. Himiko stared at him, lips pressed together, waiting for some kind of ruling. Now that he could take a better look at her he could see the resemblence. The eyes... the nose... It was disconcerting. And she knew way too much about him... and Kaitou Kid.

"So, say I believe you," he said. "What are you trying to do?"

"I need you to steal Pandora before you would in my time, before you destroy it, so we can use it to save your future self. He's dying. And we're also going need my mother's help. I wasn't able to home in on her in this time period, but I know you went to high school with her."

School? Aoko? She was fun to tease, and pretty cute even though he could never tell her that, otherwise she would rib him endlessly about it. Being married to her seemed to be taking things a step too far though. They weren't even dating.

Still, if he was going to marry Aoko, he supposed it wouldn't be bad. He could do worse. She'd tease him a lot, but he knew she liked to look after him. Aoko was always feeding him and he was at the Nakamori house almost every other day, to the point that her father didn't think twice about seeing him.

"There's a slight problem with that," he said. "You see, your mom doesn't have any idea that I'm Kaitou Kid, and I'm pretty sure she's going to flip if she finds out." _Am I going to tell her that someday?_ he wondered. "So if you meet her you have to keep all this stuff about time travel and Kaitou Kid a secret, okay? It's something that I'd have to break slowly."

And preferably long after Pandora was taken care of.

"Then you know where she is?" she asked.

"I think so," said Kaito, "we walked home together. Why do you need her?"

"To help you steal Pandora."

That was one way to get his attention, though he had no idea how Aoko could manage that. "And you can convince her to help steal Pandora without her finding out the identity of Kaitou Kid?"

Himiko nodded vigorously. "I'm sure can. It'll be easy."

Kaito supposed she must have rehearsed a speech for that too. "I suppose I can call her."

"So you're already friends even if you're not dating?"

He smiled. "Yeah, we've been friends a long time. If she's free, I can have her over in a few minutes."

"Please." Himiko clasped her hands, her expression hopeful.

She seemed like a sweet girl. He could see her being Aoko's daughter, though she seemed to physically resemble him more. She must've gotten her personality from her mother. Pushy, and sweet.

Kaito finally picked himself off the floor and put the silly roller coaster picture frame back in its shipping container before taking out his phone. He dialed Aoko's number. "Hey? Are you free?"

Of course she wasn't. She wanted to study now that she'd gotten home, taken her shoes off, and gone up to her room, and why was Kaito calling her? Did he forget something? It wasn't as if they hadn't walked home together. He could have said something sooner.

She was impossible.

Kaito looked at Himiko, who was eagerly expecting a result other than what Kaito was hearing on the other end of the phone. "Well, the thing is," he said, "I have someone over who really wants to meet you and..." He needed a better excuse than that. Himiko reached in her backpack and pulled out a plastic-covered plate laden with cookies. She mimed eating them. "...she brought some snacks to share."

That changed things. She'd be right over.

Kaito hung up and looked warily at Himiko. "That's not really why you packed cookies is it? Just to bait your mom into coming over?"

"I wasn't exactly sure what sort of circumstances I'd find myself in, so I brought plenty of food, including cookies. They're a nice way to get people to trust you."

Sneaky girl. If everything else hadn't leaned towards her being his daughter, this was the cincher.

"Your mom should be over soon. She lives right next door, so we need to get our stories straight. We can't exactly say you're my daughter from the future," said Kaito, "so how about we say you're my cousin? It'll explain any family resemblence."

"Got it," she said.

The doorbell rang and Himiko hustled into a seat at the kitchen table as if that was where she had been sitting. She removed the plastic covering from the cookies and quickly stuffed two in her mouth and chewed so the plate looked like it had been eaten from.

Kaito opened the door and gestured for Aoko to come inside. "Thanks for coming. I was talking about our day at school and my cousin Himiko said she really wanted to meet you."

It was a short walk to the kitchen. Aoko knew the way and arrived a few steps ahead of him. She looked at Himiko sitting at the table and his daughter—ugh, it was going to take time to get used to calling her that—waved invitingly. Himiko did not look like she had just crammed two cookies in her mouth, at least if one didn't notice the large swallow she just took.

"Hello, Himiko," said Aoko. "Thanks for inviting me over. Did you make those?"

Himiko nodded and smiled broadly. "I did! Please, have some. I made way too many for just me and Kaito. They're chocolate chip. Very soft."

Aoko took a seat across from Himiko as Kaito walked over to the cabinets to get her a plate. If there was one thing Himiko had missed in her rush, it was plates.

"I've wanted to meet you ever since Kaito told me about you," said Himiko. "You're really talented.

Talented wasn't the word Kaito would have used, except maybe for devouring sweets.

"Thank you," said Aoko. He could feel the daggers she must be staring into his back. She probably knew exactly what he'd been thinking. "I had no idea Kaito could say something nice about anyone."

"If you don't mind," said Himiko, "could I ask you for a demonstration?"

"A demonstration?" Aoko echoed. "Of what?"

"You don't need to be shy about it." Himiko laughed brightly. "Show me one of your magic spells. Whichever one is your favorite, Akako."

Kaito froze.

* * *

 _A/N: This is a bit more of a crack story than I usually write (time travel?!), but once I got the idea I realized that this could be a lot of fun. Now that the premise is down, the rest of the story will be handled more seriously as the characters deal with the situation._

 _For when it matters,_ Magic Kaito 1412 _is primary canon for this story. So Aoko and Kaito are next door neighbors and Akako's hair color is black._

 _For those new to my writing, I typically post a new chapter every week. You can look for them late on Saturday or sometime Sunday morning depending on your timezone. For those who have followed me over from my_ Guilty Crown _work, don't worry, I'm not leaving. This story is something I had to set aside while working on_ Imperfectly Forged _and now that it's done I wanted to get this one out of my system. I'll be returning when time allows._


	2. Chapter 2: Theory

Chapter 2: Theory

 _Akako?_ He had heard right, hadn't he? And she had just asked for a spell demonstration. No, wait, even before that. Himiko said she had arrived _by a spell_.

Kaito quickly set down the plate he had reached for before he could end up dropping it and turned around. "Wrong classmate," he said evenly. "This is _Aoko_. I haven't shown her how to do any of my magic tricks yet. Akako is someone else."

Himiko met his eyes, and gave the most imperceptible nod of her head. She turned back to Aoko and said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to confuse you. I'm not very good with names." She was smooth, that one. Aoko shouldn't have noticed anything amiss. "Please. Kaito, can you bring plates over? I want to apologize to Aoko."

He was sure that cookies would be sufficient for apologies. To Aoko's ears, calling her Akako was an honest mistake. To his, it was another matter entirely. Once Kaito was certain his nerves wouldn't betray him, he picked up three plates and placed one in front of Aoko, Himiko, and himself.

The two girls talked and ate cookies. From what he could tell, Himiko was pretty good at bluffing, most likely using stories she had heard from his future self. She seemed to know a lot, about his inability to ice skate, about him being sick on Valentine's. But damn... Akako? How did that happen?

Himiko also ran through a set of card tricks for Aoko, having her pick one, and moving it around the deck, on the table, and into Aoko's hand when she thought she had been given a different card entirely. It wasn't a routine Kaito had used himself, though he knew the principles behind what Himiko was doing and probably how she was stringing her sleights together. She must have been practicing for a long time.

After a dig at Kaito for being a poor host to his nice cousin, Aoko left and Kaito wasn't in the mood for humoring Himiko. He needed information.

"Okay," he said, after locking the door, "now I need the whole story from you. What's going on? Your mother is Akako? Then why didn't you recognize that Aoko wasn't her?"

Himiko shrugged. "Well, you seemed certain you knew who my mother was and when I saw her I just figured she must have changed a lot as she aged. So yes, my mother's name is Akako, and at this point in time her name is still Akako Koizumi. She went to high school with you. She's a witch, just like I am." Himiko sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry for blundering with your friend there, but at least everything seems to have worked out. She doesn't seem suspicious about anything."

"Thankfully." Because if he thought about it, he rather liked Aoko, and on the other hand, Akako gave him the willies. "If you're really my daughter didn't your father tell you about all the crazy things that Akako did to him?"

Himiko tilted her head, not understanding.

Kaito frowned. Clearly there was a problem here. Everything else Himiko said lined up right. What she knew about him, about Kid. He could even see bits of him in her, like that ruse with the cookies. But there was no way he could be her father if her mother was Akako. Not unless...

He shivered. One of her spells finally worked?

"I'm not sure what Mom did that offended you, but it must not have been too bad," said Himiko. "You did end up marrying her. The two of you are close, and love each other a lot. We're a happy family; the two of you, my sister and brother..."

That was way too many kids.

"Look, Himiko," said Kaito. "Akako and I... we're not exactly friends. She's always trying to get my attention, and she doesn't like taking no for an answer. She even casts spells on me. There was this time when she made a voodoo doll and started hammering spikes in my body..."

"Oh, that." Her face fell. "But I thought it didn't matter to you."

"Oh that? That it wouldn't matter?" He stared at her incredulously. "You _do_ know about that?"

Himiko beamed. "That's when you first met her as Kaitou Kid!"

He was fairly certain that was not a normal way for anyone to start a relationship.

"But if that's already happened to you, then she _does_ know you're Kaitou Kid," said Himiko.

Kaito made a sour face. "When I said that I meant Aoko."

"Mom tried a lot of spells on you," said Himiko, "but you were always resistant to them. Nothing could ever hold you for long, which is why Mom was so enamored with you."

"Enamored isn't quite the word I'd use for it." Obsessed was more like it. He sighed. "Himiko, this is a lot for me to take in right now. Would you mind if I asked you to stay here? I need some time to think about this. It's not everyday a guy finds out who he's going to marry from his daughter, especially since Akako and I aren't even dating... yet."

And hopefully never.

She nodded. "Okay."

"If you need anything, there's plenty of food in the fridge. You _are_ family, so feel free to take what you need."

Himiko smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

-MK-

Kaito couldn't walk away from his house fast enough. He hadn't been thinking about it earlier, but the silky black hair, it was more like Akako's than Aoko's, and she had arrived via time travel magic. She was probably Akako's... but that meant...

He needed someone to talk to, and the only person who might understand even half of what he was going through right now was Jii. Jii knew that he was Kaitou Kid. Jii knew about magic and the rivalry real magic practitioners had with stage magicians. Jii would believe him even without Kaito needing to physically show him the strange girl who had suddenly dropped out of a portal into his house.

When he arrived at the Blue Parrot, the sign said the bar was closed, which it normally was at this time since it was still afternoon on a weekday, but Kaito walked around it and jogged up the stairs. He let himself in. Jii had given him a key a long time ago, since they stored some of his effects as Kaitou Kid in the backroom.

"Jii!" he shouted as he closed the door behind him. The bar was empty, but then the elderly man who had once assisted his father came out from the back. "Jii," said Kaito, "I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Young Master?" Jii was carrying a box from the backroom, bottles of beer from the look of it, and set the box down on the counter.

Kaito let out an exasperated breath. "This is going to be a bit hard to believe, but here goes."

As Jii stashed the alcohol below the counter in preparation for tonight's opening, Kaito ran through the events of the past hour. He didn't leave anything out. There was no reason to. Jii was the only person he could trust with anything, knowing that no matter what decision he made, Jii would support it.

The older man nodded thoughtfully at the end of Kaito's story and said, "You might not need to worry about fate as much as you think, Young Master."

"Why's that?" said Kaito, perched glumly on one of the bar's stools.

"Let's say she time traveled from some point in the future to meet you. There is something called a closed loop theory of time travel, where if she goes back in time and meets her father, her father will also have memories of having met her, so he would be fully aware that she's gone back in time to save him. But we know that's not the case here."

"It's not?"

Jii nodded. "Because she asked you whether you've found Pandora yet and said it was necessary to save you. If the closed loop theory was valid, then her father never would have destroyed Pandora or else would have taken other precautions to ensure his survival because he would know of his upcoming predicament. At the very least, if he decided he wanted to destroy Pandora regardless of whatever happened to him, she would be aware."

"But what if she didn't like his decision and went back in time regardless to try to change things?"

"I suppose that's possible, but if that's true, the only way she could change things is if time is _not_ a closed loop. Otherwise she would simply fail."

That made sense. If she could change the past she would cause a paradox and invalidate the future she knew.

"So because she is here and trying to change something, you think time is not a closed loop," said Kaito.

"There is a multiverse theory that avoids paradoxes," said Jii. "Each time you make a decision, a new reality is made, so there are millions upon millions of timelines running in parallel to each other. What happened in Himiko's timeline would be one of many possibilities and not necessarily a future you would ever encounter. When she went back in time, she did not go back to an earlier point in her own timeline, where her father would remember her, but she went diagonally to another timeline, which happens to be ours. There is probably another timeline identical to the one we're living in where she never arrived."

Kaito tapped his fingers idly on the counter. "By going diagonally back in time, she crosses from her timeline to an earlier part of ours, and this is why when she chooses to return, she will end up where she belongs and nothing will have changed for her and her family. Her future would still exist."

"Indeed. Admittedly, it is not a theory many people could test, but a witch who can time travel might know better. In any case, if a multiverse exists, who _you_ fall in love with and whether you have a daughter at all, could very well be different from the timeline that Himiko came from. Though I suppose the young lady will be disappointed if her father ends up marrying someone else."

"She shouldn't be hanging around long enough to find out!" Kaito grimaced.

Even if she was his daughter, if she was from an alternate timeline then he certainly wasn't under any obligation to hook up with Akako to preserve her existence. He was afraid to picture what their married life must be like; full of voodoo dolls and crazy magic circles... Though if he was under a spell he probably wouldn't care.

"The young lady probably came to this timeline because it's very similar to her own," said Jii. "For all we know, the only difference is that she arrived. If she had landed in one where you had never become Kaitou Kid, then she probably would not be able to get you to find Pandora."

"Not helping, Jii."

"So what are you going to do?"

Kaito sighed. "I don't know. I mean, she seems like a nice girl. Not as witchy as her mother. But, she says I'll need Akako's help, and I don't want to talk to her about this."

Akako would probably gloat and start demanding favors in exchange for saving the life of his future self, who for all he knew might not even be endangered. It was entirely possible that what happened to him in Himiko's timeline wouldn't happen to him at all in his, especially if he was armed with the knowledge of what the situation was.

Which come to think of it, he didn't know what Himiko was trying to save her father from. All he knew was that they were going to need Pandora to do it. He'd have to ask her.

"And I should be able to steal Pandora without Akako," said Kaito. "Kid isn't sorry enough to have to rely on a witch to get the job done."

"Maybe it's not enough to have Pandora?" said Jii.

"Himiko didn't say she needed anything else. She just said we would need Akako's help. But, you're right, I should ask her about that. Maybe I can convince her to let me do this without Akako once I have enough detail. I'm Kid after all."

-MK-

He left the Blue Parrot feeling much better than when he had arrived. Himiko was still a problem, and she probably wouldn't leave until he found Pandora, but at least he could be reasonably confident that he didn't need to be her father. If she came from another timeline though, and she knew that she did, then what happened to her father was already set and she couldn't change it. She could only fix things from the point when she had left.

If Himiko needed Pandora to save him, did that mean she needed to take it with her? Was she going to try making him immortal?

By the time Kaito got back to his house it was almost dark. He opened the door and called out, "I'm home! Himiko?"

She didn't respond. The half-eaten plate of cookies was still on the table, covered with plastic, and when he checked the refrigerator it looked like she had made some rice and grilled chicken for dinner. Dishes were neatly cleaned on the rack.

"Himiko?"

Kaito didn't think she would have gone upstairs since this wasn't her house. Or maybe it was twenty, thirty years from now so she considered it home. He climbed up the steps and looked around as he called her name, but no one responded.

Hm.

Kaito came back down and noticed that there was a white sheet of paper sitting on the table by the plate of cookies. He had thought it was something she'd brought with her, but now that he looked closer, she had written "To Dad" on it. Obviously it was for him, and he didn't like the idea that she'd left a note.

 _Sorry for not staying here, but I'm really anxious about finding Mom. I think I've figured out a way to triangulate her position now that I'm in the right time period. Thanks for dinner. Be back soon!_

She really knew how to make a bad day worse.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Hooddies! I'm a little surprised that there haven't been more Kaito x Akako fanfics since I've seen comments like yours in other stories, so there is clearly a desire for one that isn't being met. As for this particular story, the future of this Kaito Kuroba is not set, though in some other reality there was definitely some Kaito x Akako action._

 _Shinichi/Conan isn't going to appear in this story. While I like seeing Kid and Conan match wits with each other, there's only going to be one heist in this story and for logistical reasons it won't make sense for Conan to be at it. Next chapter we'll see Himiko and Akako meet up!_


	3. Chapter 3: Enchantment

Chapter 3: Enchantment

It was rare for Akako to have visitors. So when her hunchbacked servant told her that she had one, she was surprised. It wasn't that her manor was impossible to find, but the spells around it rendered it rather unremarkable to anyone who didn't have business looking for her. Dissuading curiosity from casual onlookers was useful for a witch.

That someone actually sought her was concerning. Her classmates found her too unapproachable, too far above them, to do such banal things as ask to come over and study, and if she had forgotten something at school, she would certainly be back the next day.

When she opened the door she found a teenage girl with long dark hair. She had an exquisite bearing and wore a uniform that Akako did not recognize. But more importantly, Akako could detect the magic energies around her. She was another witch.

"To whom do I have the honor?" said Akako.

The other girl bowed and said, "Himiko Kuroba. May I come in?"

Kuroba?

Akako stood aside and said, "Come in." Then once the girl was inside, she shut the door behind her and asked, "Any relation to Kaito Kuroba?"

"Yes. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You are Akako Koizumi, correct?"

"Correct."

The girl, Himiko, turned and noticed the hunchback standing a safe distance down the hallway. He was far enough to not be intrusive, but close enough to react to any situation that might require his assistance. Akako supposed his appearance must be shocking enough for the girl to stare, but instead of any expression of disgust Himiko bowed and said:

"Hello, uncle."

Politeness was not what Akako would have expected. Apparently neither did the hunchback, who expressed his bewilderment through the slightest widening of his eyes.

Himiko turned back to Akako and said, "You can use your magic to confirm what I am saying. I am your daughter from the future, and I need your help to save the life of my father, Kaito Kuroba. I know the two of you are not married or dating yet, so this must be terribly awkward for you, but I didn't have much leeway to work with when trying to find an anchor point in an appropriate time period."

"Kaito Kuroba?" Akako studied the girl for any trace of a lie, but couldn't find one. Beyond that, there was residual magic around her from a recent spell, one that would warp time and space. "He is your father?"

Himiko nodded.

She liked the girl's name. It was appropriate for the daughter of a witch to be named after the legendary shaman queen of Japan. She hadn't considered any names for any future children of hers, but as far as names went, Himiko was good, and the girl was pretty enough for that. And talented if she had managed to send herself back in time.

Akako laughed. "It's nice to know Kuroba finally gives in. I guess even he can't hold out forever against my magic."

"But your spells never last long on him," said Himiko. "You should know that."

"Eh?"

The hunchback coughed politely and said, "Perhaps Miss Akako and her guest would like to sit down somewhere to discuss? It would be more comfortable than sorting everything out in the foyer."

Akako frowned and said, "All right."

She led Himiko to one of the manor's sitting rooms, an imposing chamber with gargoyle statues and plush chairs with cushions of red velvet. Himiko took a seat without any sign of discomfort, which made Akako consider that the girl was likely her daughter and raised with such an unusual environment around her. It was possible for someone to deceive with spells, to make a witch read something other than what was, but Akako could not think of anyone who would pursue so personal an agenda as to pretend to be a child by the boy she wished to enthrall.

"So what are you saying about Kaito Kuroba?" said Akako, taking a seat across from Himiko.

"He's not under a spell," said Himiko. "What you cast on him never works."

"That's untrue. I've teleported him, levitated him, made him bleed. My magic works."

"For a short period of time. He's resistant, so eventually the magic fails through no conscious effort on his part. It's just who he is. That's why you've never been able to charm him. And that's why his future self needs your help, because your magic in the future is not enough."

"He's resistant? That's ridiculous. If he's not under a spell then the only way he would marry me is..." An odd thought occurred to her. "Did I blackmail him?"

Himiko sighed and sagged into her chair. "No, Mom. Dad loves you, a lot, of his own free will. I already spoke to Dad in this time, the younger version of him, and he was really creeped out the possibility, so I know the two of you aren't fond of each other right now. But really, it will work out."

Akako barely heard the rest of what she said. Kuroba loving her, of his own free will... She didn't know how that would be possible. He could be charming to her as Kaitou Kid, but as himself he was always brushing her off. No matter how much she tried to get his attention nothing worked, and then she'd find him talking with Aoko Nakamori again. That naive girl was as dense as a block of stone.

"When the two of you were in high school," said Himiko, "Dad was looking for a gem called Pandora. He found it, and crushed it, as he had planned to do. For years there was no reason to regret that decision. But now, he's sick, and the hospitals can't do any more. You though, as a witch, _can_. Except that Dad is resistant to your magic."

"What does that have to do with this Pandora?" said Akako.

"In addition to granting immortality, Pandora is a magic amplifier. It's fine if he destroys it in this present day as long as we can get a shard of it for me to take back to my time. It would allow your magic, your future self's magic, to overcome his natural resistance and heal him."

Such an amplifier was not unheard of, but witches guarded such gems closely once they discovered their properties. If Pandora was not already claimed by one, then it had not yet been tested.

"Would it work for me now?" said Akako.

"It would," said Himiko, "but he's not in danger at this point in time. It's his future self. If you used your magic here it wouldn't help Dad."

"But I could overcome his natural resistance."

Himiko groaned. "I don't understand you two, why you don't care about each other properly. No, I _could_ understand if the two of you didn't know each other yet, but you don't even seem to respect each other. And you're not going to be able to get Pandora right now if you don't work together. Mom, you were with Dad when he found Pandora for the first time. You helped him destroy it. You weren't worried about trying to control him or anything. He already loved you. You don't need a spell to keep him."

Akako tightened a hand around the armrest of her chair. "I don't know why I would destroy anything that would amplify my magic. It doesn't make any sense. Even if I had Kuroba's heart, I would have kept it because I could use it later."

"Would you do it for him, if he asked?"

"He should know better than that. Think about it. You're a witch. Isn't it possible your father has been enthralled the whole time? All men cannot help but kneel to me, and they otherwise go about their daily lives no different than others would expect. I doubt Kuroba would be any different."

"Because I am Himiko Kuroba." The girl lifted her head and jutted her chin at a stubborn angle.

"I fail to see the point," said Akako. "The Koizumi family of witches have always enchanted the men we wanted for our..."

" _Kuroba_."

Akako felt the name lance through her and grimaced. "You have your father's name."

Himiko nodded. "After you married, you entered your name in Dad's family registry. You are Akako Kuroba in my time."

This was going to be a headache. Akako had never considered that she might want to take her future husband's name, if she even married one. Witches kept their names through the female line. If anything, Kuroba should have married into her family.

And then this nonsense about helping him destroy Pandora... Did she actively go on heists with him? Why would she do that except to catch him? Even if he already loved her, there was no reason she should listen to something as preposterous as destroying so valuable a magical artifact. Had she cared so much for him that she indulged in his whims? That was not like Akako Koizumi!

"Do I..." she began roughly, "do I love Kaito Kuroba?" She fixed her eyes on her daughter, determined to sense the slightest hint of a lie.

"You do," said Himiko. She spoke easily, as if it was the most natural thing. "You're at almost all his shows. You used to help out a lot too, until my brother was born."

A son wasn't much use. He wouldn't be able to use magic.

Still, it was strange to think that she might love Kuroba, that she would care so much for him that she would give up a gem like Pandora because he asked her to. The thought was strange, and frightening, to give another person that much power over her. Even for Kuroba's affections, she was not so certain she would be willing to give her own. It would hurt too much if he changed his mind, which was why it _had_ be magic. She wanted it to be magic.

But everything Himiko said... She couldn't find a single lie within her words. At worst she had been misled, but what she said was the truth as she knew it.

Akako's phone rang and she glanced at the number. It was Kaito Kuroba, who never in his life had called her before. They only had each other's numbers for when they had to work on the class project for the cultural festival.

"Your father," she said to Himiko.

Her daughter nodded and turned away, prepared to tune out the conversation, or at least to pretend to do so.

"Hello, Kuroba," said Akako.

"Akako, I have to ask you something. Have you run into a girl named Himiko?"

He sounded nervous, so Akako could not resist drawling out a slow, "Why yes. She's with me right now."

"We need to talk."

"I don't think we've ever _needed_ to do anything together."

"Don't be funny, Akako! You know who she is."

"Do I?" Akako grinned. If he was going to be coy, she might as well make him squirm.

"Tomorrow," he said. "Let's meet for lunch at the Petit Cafe. Don't bring her. She showed up at my house first and went looking for you, but there shouldn't be any other place she needs to go now that she's located both of us, and I don't think she's going to leave until we have a chance to talk. Just convince her to stay at your place."

"Fine, I'll meet you there, and I'll see if I can convince her to leave us alone. I understand why you might want the privacy."

"Why do you want me to read into that?!"

Akako laughed. "Did you, Kuroba? I wouldn't mind."

"Tomorrow. Noon. Okay?"

"Okay."

Akako ended the call and looked up at Himiko.

"So the two of you are meeting?" said the girl.

"We are," said Akako, "though your father would like us to remain undisturbed. Would you be amenable to that?"

Himiko nodded vigorously. "If it helps make things better between the both of you, sure."

Akako sighed and thought to herself that Himiko's mannerisms were far too informal. She must get that from her father.

"Since you're here, let's get you a room for the night. There's plenty of space, and my servant will see that you are fed for the duration of your stay."

* * *

 _A/N: Yay, we get to see Akako's point of view! I figure that Kaito must have some innate magic resistance since obviously_ some _of Akako's magic works on him, but any time she tries to charm him it completely fails. So I figure anything with an immediate effect works, but something that operates over an extended duration, something that takes time, ultimately fails. That's why he's never infatuated with her, because it would be an on-going magic and he's simply too slippery for the spell to stick. This does mean that future Kaito is so messed up that healing him would take time._


	4. Chapter 4: Endearment

Chapter 4: Endearment

Akako showed up on time, wearing a long violet dress and a thin beige sweater over it. Her purse was a dark shade of red. To most of the world she probably looked like a well bred young lady. Kaito did not consider her anything of the sort. There was a sharpness in her demeanor that was unused to her whims being denied.

"So what did you think of her?" said Kaito.

"Not even a greeting, Kuroba?" Akako's smile could slice meat.

He frowned. "Hi, Akako."

"Let's sit inside," said Akako, abruptly taking his arm. Then in a lower voice she added, "Himiko agreed to leave us undisturbed, but she's been following me. If we go inside I can ward the cafe so she won't be able to hear us."

He couldn't tell if she was lying. Himiko _was_ a witch, but he did not appreciate the arm grab. Kaito supposed he would have to put up with it and said, "Fine."

They walked inside, Akako making subtle gestures as they passed through the door, as though just part of her conversation with him. The most discreet seat they could find was a table for two away from, but not entirely out of sight of the windows. A waitress dropped off menus for them. Sandwiches, sweets, and coffee. Akako opened hers up and studied it.

"Is she telling the truth?" said Kaito, leaving his menu down on the table.

Akako glanced up and regarded him shrewdly. "You'd trust me with an answer?"

"I don't have much choice, now do I." He glared at her. "This stuff is actual magic. That's your thing."

"It is," she said, "and as far as I can tell, she is not lying. There is a residual aura on her from the spell she used to arrive here. She shines with the light of years yet to come. Himiko is definitely from a future time, and I believe she is telling the truth as she knows it."

"Then what she's saying about us..."

Akako gave him a predatory smile that sent chills down his spine. "Are you feeling particularly amorous, Kuroba?"

"Of course not!" He glowered. "But I don't understand how..."

"I do not either," said Akako, "though I can't say I object to the result. I just don't know how... You like Nakamori, don't you?"

"Her?" Kaito laughed as though that was impossible. "She couldn't walk two steps without me."

"Which is why you're always with her."

"At least she's not weird like you."

Akako sighed. "Maybe something happens to Nakamori in the future, and that's why you don't end up with her."

"Not everyone ends up marrying someone they knew in high school," said Kaito.

But he could not forget that Himiko had not recognized Aoko at all, and had even willfully mistook her for Akako. Kaito wanted to think that even if they never became more than friends, that they would at least stay in touch.

He could feel his throat tighten at the thought that something bad could have happened to her, that she might die young. If this timeline was different enough, maybe she would be okay. Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe, for whatever reason, they drifted apart. Or maybe she moved away, or he did, and that's why Himiko had not known her growing up. Any possibility would be better than learning that she had died.

Or that he might end up with Akako afterwards... That he still didn't understand. Even without Aoko, he couldn't imagine being stuck with Akako; that scary laugh, that cloying desire for his attention, and not to mention all her harassing whether he was in his Kid persona or not.

"She must be expecting some sort of spark between us though," said Akako.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

Akako off-handedly pointed out the window. "I warded this place so she can't use her magic to eavesdrop, and I doubt she will come inside due to her promise not to disturb us, but if you look across the street you can see her with a pair of binoculars."

Barely turning his face, Kaito rolled his eyes in the indicated direction and saw exactly what Akako was talking about. So she was. What kind of privacy was that? Was Himiko expecting him to take Akako's hand and propose to her? Did she... think this was a date?

Suddenly Kaito regretted suggesting a cafe. He should have waited until after the weekend, so they could talk at school, in as neutral an environment as possible, and one where Himiko couldn't intrude.

"Kuroba," said Akako, and now there was no trace of arrogance in her voice. "I do want to know though, is there anything you like about me? Clearly in some other time you find me attractive."

"I don't know... aren't you always putting these weird spells on me? You probably used a hex." And he did not like the mental image that popped in his head on what his other self must have gone through.

Akako set down her menu. "It doesn't work like that. My magic has never been able to keep its hold on you. For whatever reason, you've always been able to slip through my spells, and our daughter knows this. Kuroba, in whatever future she comes from, you love me, and there are no spells involved. If I knew how or why..."

Kaito shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Hey... Akako... try not to be so serious about this. There are a lot of different realities, right? Maybe in the one she came from you just happened to be that Kaito Kuroba's type."

 _And he's one sick man,_ Kaito thought.

"Did you ask her how it happened?" he said.

Akako shook her head. "But I do know that my other self started accompanying Kaitou Kid on heists."

"I'm not–"

"You can stop pretending. In Himiko's future I helped you destroy Pandora. Kaito Kuroba does not make a habit of stealing gems in the middle of the night, but I know who does."

Kaito closed his mouth pensively. How much had Himiko told her?

At that point the waitress chose to appear again for their orders. Akako rattled off something he barely heard and when the waitress asked him what he wanted, he numbly requested a ham sandwich and coffee.

It made sense that Akako knew about Pandora, since Himiko had told him that her mother was needed to help him steal it, and Akako _would_ be much more useful on a heist than Aoko. Also unlike Aoko, she would have less moral compunction in assisting Kaitou Kid. But he still didn't see why he would need Akako at all. He'd always gotten along fine without her.

She did make herself useful sometimes though. Her cryptic warnings weren't much help, but she did try looking after Aoko in his stead at Touto Tower, and she certainly had not needed to do that. And by that measure, he supposed it was possible, if Akako was not so adamant about seducing him, that he could stand to be with her. Perhaps the other Akako had come to realize that.

"Lost in thought?" said Akako.

"Did she tell you why she needs Pandora to save my life?"

She shrugged. "Apparently your future self has fallen ill from some malady that hospitals are unable to help you with, but I can save your life if I use a shard of Pandora. It has the ability to augment a witch's magical powers, and with Pandora my future self would be able to bypass your magic resistance and heal you. Unfortunately, we completely destroyed Pandora in Himiko's future, so I was unable to use it. That's why she's gone back in time, to get it before you destroy it, and take a shard of it back to her present."

"I suppose I don't have a problem with that, but..."

If he stole it now, with Akako helping, there was a very good chance that present Akako would get a hold of it, and he didn't trust her not to take advantage of it.

"You know," said Kaito, "I doubt my other self would regret destroying it. It's what I've wanted to do for a while now."

She smiled again. "So you admit you are Kaitou Kid?"

"This is a terrible place to ask that." He glared back at her.

"So why do you want it?" she asked. "To ruin the chance of a witch getting a new tool?"

He shook his head. "No. More personal reasons than that. It's... just something I have to do. It's why I steal things."

"Oh." Akako paused, contemplative. "I never thought to wonder."

"Why I like to dress up and have a night on the town?" He smiled, but without humor. "I'm pretty sure if my other self could take it back, he wouldn't. I mean, no one _wants_ to die, but between one or the other, it would be better to know that Pandora is gone."

"That may be true," said Akako slowly, "but it's not just you in that future time. You might not care about leaving a different me a widow, but what about our children? Would your future self be all right with leaving them without a father? I know it's not just Himiko. She mentioned a brother."

He took in a deep breath and sighed. "If I have to be honest, no. I know what it's like to grow up without a dad. Himiko might not be as young as I was when I lost mine, but it's not something I would wish on anyone. But that doesn't mean I have to be comfortable with the idea. She's asking a lot."

"I don't see how helping her hurts you."

It wasn't that helping would directly hurt him. It was _indirectly_ that he worried about. Couldn't he be allowed to be petty, especially when it came to how he felt about a certain witch?

Akako turned her head slightly towards the window. "She's probably going to talk to us once we leave, so we'll have to come up with an answer by the time we go."

The waitress returned with their food. She placed a western style teacup in front of Akako and a plate with a large crossaint on it.

"Maybe it's better we stay in here for a while," he said. "She might get bored."

Akako took a sip from her teacup as the waitress set Kaito's ham sandwich, neatly sliced in two, in front of him along with his coffee.

"I'll pay for us," said Akako, "since you seem so uncertain."

She cut her croissant delicately with a fork and knife, revealing that it was filled with curry chicken inside. Akako did not eat even remotely likely Aoko, who probably would have picked it up with both hands and bitten right in.

"I don't need your charity," said Kaito. "I'll take care of it."

"Does that make this a date?"

He made a face. "I'll take care of _my_ share."

"Himiko will be _so_ disappointed."

"Not as disappointed as I'll be owing something to you."

"Because you can't pay your debts?" Akako grinned.

"Stop doing that!" He groaned. "See? This is why you're so hard to be around."

Akako grimaced and swallowed a bite of her chicken croissant. "Fine. So are we going to help her? You know there is probably more at stake for you than there is for me. Whatever happens to the you of Himiko's future, could very well happen to the you of the present some twenty years down the line. If I don't help you, I'll disappoint Himiko, but personally I don't have anything at stake here."

Put that way, he didn't have anything at stake either. But Himiko _did_ seem to know how to steal Pandora in this time. Why else would she have told him he would need Akako's help? Even if he didn't want to save his future self, could he really turn down the opportunity to find Pandora and get rid of it? Maybe he could convince Himiko that he could do it alone, without Akako, but to do that he'd need to speak to her again, and without Akako around.

He chewed on his sandwich, thinking, and said, "Let's help her. But I need to speak to her again. I had questions that I wanted to ask before she ran off on me. We can go back to my house if you don't want her imposing anymore. It's not far from here."

Akako smiled, but it was an oddly melancholy look that he was unused to seeing on her. "She was no imposition at all. Having her over was unexpected, but she made me consider things that I would never have thought possible."

* * *

 _A/N: I'm glad people are enjoying my version of Akako. I really do think she's underutilized. Though this is the fourth chapter, it contains the first page of the story I actually wrote. The part from where Kaito and Akako sit down until they notice Himiko spying on them from outside was written a few months while I was still in the middle of my I_ mperfectly Forged _Guilty Crown fanfic._

 _I dislike working on multiple multi-chapter stories at the same time so I quickly spat out that page to get it out of my system and then went back to finish_ Imperfectly _before returning to "The Unpromised Future" properly._


	5. Chapter 5: Family

Chapter 5: Family

Kaito ended up paying for both of them, mostly so Akako could not complain that he had been ungrateful _any_ help that she had rendered in the past, and to his relief, when the bill was finally taken care of, all she did was thank him. At least she knew how to be tolerable, even if she often wasn't.

Himiko was in their faces almost as soon as they left the cafe, even though they had taken their time in hopes that she might get bored enough to stop eavesdropping. She smiled brightly at them both and asked, "How did it go? Did you guys enjoy each other's company?"

In retrospect, Kaito wondered if they shouldn't have stayed so long, as it might have given the impression that they _were_ getting along.

"We had a lot to discuss," said Akako, surprisingly neutral about it.

"Akako told me what's going on," said Kaito. "You need to obtain Pandora so you can take a shard of it back to your future. Am I correct in understanding that we can destroy the rest?"

Himiko nodded. "Yes."

Kaito turned to Akako. "We're destroying the rest then."

Akako frowned, but didn't say anything.

"In any case," said Kaito, "I think we need to discuss the specifics of how we're going to do this. Himiko, would you come back to my house with me?"

"Mom too?" Himiko looked worriedly at Akako.

Kaito sighed. "She can come too."

"I would like to see your home, Kuroba." Akako's voice was stiff and overly formal, but at least she wasn't giving him one of her predatory grins.

The three of them walked back together, though when they got to his block he asked Akako to wait and come separately a few minutes later.

"If Aoko happens to see, I don't want to tell her why I'm walking to my house with you," he said.

Akako laughed, and Himiko looked mortified, but Akako humored him, and waited until he and Himiko were inside before strolling up to the Kuroba residence herself, at which point Kaito quickly pulled her inside.

"Himiko brought cookies," he said, motioning to the plastic covered plate on the kitchen table. "She'd probably appreciate it if you ate some. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go upstairs and get my laptop so we get take a look at the place we're going to rob." He glanced over his shoulder. "Himiko, do you want to come?"

"Sure!" she said brightly.

Kaito smiled to himself. This was good. Akako would have to stay downstairs for a little while. It would be impolite for her to head up to the bedrooms in a house she'd never been in before, and with Himiko coming with him, he would have a few minutes of privacy in which to talk to her without Akako around.

His daughter bounded up behind him as he went to his room, and once inside she looked at the framed poster of his father as a magician on the wall.

"That my dad, your grandfather," he said. "Do you think he looks cool?"

"You showed me movies of his performances," said Himiko. "You're better though."

Kaito chuckled. "Well, that's good to know."

"Is this poster the one to the hidden room?"

"Yeah, but leave that alone. There's a trick to getting down safely, and if you're not careful you're gonna fall."

She frowned, disappointed, and then turned back to him.

"We don't live here in your future, I take it," said Kaito.

"This is Grandma's house, isn't it? I think I came here once, when I was really little," said Himiko, "but I grew up in Las Vegas. It's where you work. There aren't any hidden rooms in the house we have there though. I checked."

"Well, if I had any, I don't think I would have told you."

"No, I really checked. I got the construction blueprints to the house."

She was... certainly thorough. Kaito made a note for later that if he ever had children, to make sure that construction blueprints would mask the existence of hidden rooms.

"So where is your laptop?" she asked.

"I got it right here," he said, opening up his desk drawer. He slipped out the thin computer and held it up. "But before we go down, I want to ask you about this heist. Why is Akako necessary in order for me to steal Pandora? Kaitou Kid is the best thief there is."

"At this time, Pandora is not yet located in Japan. It's in the United States."

Which certainly complicated things, but he could get a plane ticket, and he told her that. Kaitou Kid had precedent for working abroad, though it had been his father at the time.

"Mom can transport you directly to the museum where Pandora is being kept," said Himiko. "And she can get you inside with minimal hassle. Finally, when you have Pandora, she can use her magic to carve out a sliver for me to take home without damaging it."

"Can't you do this?" he asked. "You're a witch too."

Himiko shook her head. "I'm not as strong as her, and it needs to be her, because she's the one the shard of Pandora is going to be attuned to in order for her future self to use it to save my dad."

"But Himiko, now that you've met the Akako I know, would you trust her with Pandora? How did she act when you told her that you're our daughter?"

She looked down. "Badly. But it has to work out somehow. Because it does, for me." Himiko reached around and unslung her backpack. She opened the zipper at the top and dug around inside. "There's something I want to show you."

Kaito recognized the wooden frame she held out to him. It would have been a classy souvenir from Las Vegas if it wasn't for the cheesy die cast metal roller coaster that ran along the top. The color was not as vibrant as the one he'd picked up the other day after opening the package from his mother, but otherwise it looked very much the same.

Was this what she had been holding the moment she'd arrived? She had stuffed something in her hand into her backpack before his vision had cleared.

"Take it," she said. "It's what I used to home in on this part of the timeline. I remember you told me when you got the picture frame, so I knew if I used this I could arrive the day you received it, at a time when you were still Kaitou Kid and before you got a hold of Pandora."

Carefully, he lifted it out of her hand and looked at the photo inside. It was of a family, his and Akako's. He recognized himself, a little taller, perhaps a little broader. He guessed the version of him in the photo must be in his early thirties, give or take, and he was sitting beside an elegant woman who was undoubtedly Akako. Both of them were smiling, and neither seemed forced.

Standing to the side of him was a girl of about seven, and on his lap was another girl of about four. The Akako in the photo was holding a confused little boy who might just be old enough to crawl.

"It's an old photo," said Himiko, "but I didn't want to take it out when I used the frame as a beacon."

In her place, Kaito probably wouldn't have either. He held it out to her. "I've already agreed to help," he said quietly. "This doesn't make it easier."

"But–"

"Akako can come," said Kaito, as she took back the photo and held the frame close to her heart. "But you have to stop trying to push us together. Do you even know how we fell in love in the first place?"

"She started joining you on heists," said Himiko. "After a while, you said the two of you just clicked."

"This Akako hasn't done that."

"Kuroba!" Akako's voice floated up from below. "Are you having that difficult a time finding a laptop?"

"And don't tell her to start either," said Kaito, lowering his voice to a whisper. "After we find Pandora, there will no longer be a need for Kaitou Kid." Then, louder, he said, "So impatient, Akako! I'm on my way!"

He gave Himiko a pointed look and then walked out of his bedroom. She followed behind him, and he could tell from the downward tilt of her head and the sagging shoulders that she had not taken the rebuke well, but he couldn't feed her false hope that he would somehow fall in love with Akako in a matter of days, if not hours. That was beyond even magic.

When they got back downstairs, Akako was waiting for them at the base of the steps. "Sorry. I had it buried under some junk," he said. "Let's get set up now that I've got it."

The three of them sat at the kitchen table, Kaito and Himiko sitting down on one side and Akako looking over his shoulder.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather sit?" he said to Akako as he powered on his laptop.

"I can't see if I sit across from you," she replied.

"You can have my seat, Mom," said Himiko quickly, chair scraping in her hurry to stand up.

"No, you sit," said Kaito.

"Listen to your father," said Akako.

He glared at her. She glared back.

"Anyway," said Kaito. "You've made it clear, Himiko, that both Akako and I have to go on this heist together. So where is Pandora currently? Give me specifics, so we can look up the basics online."

He logged into his VPN to mask his country of origin. There was no way Interpol was going to trace Kaitou Kid to his own home based on his web searches.

"The Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles," said Himiko. "It's home to the largest collection of gems and minerals in the United States west of Washington D.C."

Kaito brought up a mental map in his head and said, "Isn't that 90% of the country?"

Himiko nodded. "Inside the exhibition area is a special vault called the Hixon Collection that is open to the public during normal hours of operation. It houses the majority of the museum's most prized display pieces. Among them is a black sapphire known as the Night's Splendor."

The museum web site came up, and Kaito pulled up the page on the gem and mineral exhibit. The Hixon Collection was big. Himiko might call it a vault, but it was more of a large chamber.

"Sometimes the museum will temporarily loan out parts of the Hixon Collection to other museums in exchange for different gems to exhibit," said Himiko. "That's how it eventually gets to Japan for your future self to steal it, but there is no longer any need to wait for that since the two of you are together now and I'm able to tell you where it is."

"So the Night's Splendor is Pandora?" said Kaito. The web site mentioned a few choice gems, but the Night's Splendor was not one of them. There was a 4,600 carat topaz though, that he was fairly certain he would have laid hands on if it ever came to Japan. Jewels didn't get much bigger than that.

"Pandora is a doublet," said Himiko, "with an unusual inclusion that is only revealed when held to the moonlight. A black sapphire is dark, and you cannot see through it easily without a light source behind it. Though it is polished and beautiful in its own way, it is not the star attraction. People like the diamonds and rubies more."

"This is going to take some legwork," said Kaito. "Himiko, do you have an Uncle Jii in your time?"

"Yeah," she said. "Grandpa's friend, right?"

"Good," said Kaito. "I'm glad he's still around. If we're going to pull this off, we're going to need the current Jii's help. Even if we can teleport there, we can't just magic our way in–"

"Can't we?" said Akako.

"Does your magic open vaults?" he asked warily. When she didn't reply he said, "Jii can look into the museum's security and get a hold of some floor plans. He used to do this for _my_ dad, and my dad worked several heists overseas as Kaitou Kid so I'm pretty sure Jii has the resources to get a hold of what we need. And that gives me time to send out a heads up to those involved."

"A heads up?" Himiko's expression was confused.

Kaito grinned. "Kaitou Kid needs to give the museum a fair chance to defend its treasure. It'll take a couple weeks for overseas mail to get a physical calling card to them, so I'll have to budget the time in for that along with Jii's research. We'll want to make the theft on a weekend afternoon for us, so we don't have school, which will be evening on the previous day in Los Angeles."

Akako sighed. "It won't be Inspector Nakamori who takes charge of this heist though. That card will probably bring out Interpol too."

"Let it," said Kaito. "There's another very important reason that Kaitou Kid has to make an announcement about what he's stealing and where. Some very unsavory people need to know that I'm going to claim the Night's Splendor, and that they're never going to get a hold of Pandora."

"Who are they?"

"The ones who killed Grandpa," said Himiko, "Dad's dad."

* * *

 _A/N: Though the Hixon Collection is real, the Night's Splendor is fake. I chose to make Pandora a black sapphire because sapphires are known for having inclusions, which is when you find another mineral or other material inside of a gem, what Magic Kaito calls a doublet. What makes Pandora unusual is that the inside gem part only appears when held up to moonlight, which is why I made it a black sapphire, so under normal lighting you wouldn't see anything inside. You would need a bright light on the opposite end from your eye to look through it._


	6. Chapter 6: Together

Chapter 6: Together

Akako left most of the planning to Kuroba. Stealing was his, or rather Kid's, show.

Working with Kuroba's timeline, they decided to set the heist day for early afternoon on Saturday three weeks from now, which would be late evening on the day before in Los Angeles. Kuroba worked with his assistant, Jii, to have him fly out ahead of them and begin scouting while his calling card was still in transit. Akako and Himiko had their own responsibilities; preparing the teleportation spell that would take them there.

"It's not something we can do at the drop of a hat," said Himiko, "but we should be ready by the time on your calling card."

Himiko stayed with Akako at her mansion during their first week of preparation. The girl was well trained, which Akako supposed she ought to be if she was any daughter of hers. She was meticulous in her work as the two of them laid the foundation spell for the teleportation circle. Though they wouldn't need to etch the spell lines until the day itself, preparing the area to absorb the sudden influx of power took a considerable amount of time.

Akako rarely felt the need to use such powerful magic, and crossing continents was not a novice undertaking. She could easily manage a couple short hops in a single night without too much effort, but crossing an ocean to land near a museum she had never visited was new even to her.

That's why the spell would take two of them. With her and Himiko working together they would have enough power to get the both of them and Kuroba across the ocean and back again without somebody taking an unexpected dunk in the Pacific, or worse, ending up in some random place in the Earth's crust.

"Did you already know how to lay out a teleportation circle, or did you prepare before coming here?" said Akako.

They worked in the laboratory adjacent to her summoning chamber, where she kept tools and shelves of all the ingredients she might need. The middle of the room was dominated by a large table with a single stool, which Himiko was using. Akako remained standing. She could have had the hunchback bring in a chair from elsewhere in the manor, but it would not have been high enough to reach their workspace.

"I've never teleported this distance by myself," said Himiko, "but we did this once to visit your mother after she got sick. We weren't sure if there was time to take a proper flight." She carefully minced chalk into powder and swept it into a bowl with a brush. Her movements were quick, practiced. "Does Grandmother prefer the house out in the country in this time too?"

"Never comes this close to the city if she help it," said Akako. "Much easier to do magic undisturbed when there are not nearly so many neighbors. She's already got her one daughter, and that's enough for her."

Himiko smiled, eyes glazing over at a memory. "Dad tried so hard to win her over. I think I was five by the time she finally realized the truth. She thought he was under a spell for a long time and didn't understand why you kept him around after I was born, or why you moved to the United States with him."

Akako had not known her father. He had been released once her mother was done with him. It was the Koizumi way. She could well imagine the shock her mother would go through, knowing that Akako had seriously married into the Kuroba family. Taking the name and fortune of a wealthy man would be one thing. But running off to Las Vegas with a performer of parlor tricks...

"I'm glad that my mother and I are still on speaking terms in your future," said Akako. "It gives me hope for this one."

"You do like Dad, don't you? I mean, it's not just that you want to control him, is it?"

Akako sighed and said, "He can be infuriatingly charming when he wants to be. But he rarely is unless he's dressed up as Kaitou Kid. Seeing him act the way he does out of costume makes me wonder which is the real Kaito Kuroba and which is the performance."

"Maybe they both are," said Himiko. "I haven't see him as Kaitou Kid... ever. You destroyed Pandora before I was born. But, Dad isn't quite so abrasive in my time."

"Or maybe he's just upset at the thought of marrying me."

"Maybe, but I'd rather not think that."

"It's not going to take us three weeks to finish preparations," said Akako. "We should be done with several days to spare. Do you want to stay with your father at all before we go? I know he's being prickly, but I don't think he'll say no. If he does, I'm sure the instant you mention that you feel you could be imposing on me he'll give in."

"I do want to," said Himiko. "But..." She rested her hands on the edge of the wooden table. "I know it's silly, but I wish we would all be together. Spending time with only one or the other of you feels like you somehow got divorced. It's not fair of course. Even if the two of you had been dating already, I couldn't ask the both of you to be something you aren't, or aren't ready to be."

"You must get that from him."

Himiko looked up. "Why?"

Akako measured a switch of bamboo and cut it precisely with a spell. "You may be pushy, but you're also considerate. I wouldn't feel so sorry about asking. If you don't ask, you don't know if you'll get."

"Then, can I ask?"

"I'm not the one you need to be asking. I have no issue with Kuroba staying here, or staying at his house after we finish preparations."

-MK-

It was a Thursday, roughly a week and a half later, that Himiko moved back to Kuroba's house and became his problem again, and Akako knew that he _did_ find her a problem the minute she walked in the classroom the following Friday. Kuroba rarely paid attention to Akako in class if he could help it, but now he couldn't stop glaring at her. He seemed on the verge of saying something, but any outburst he would have given was instantly derailed by a series of insinuating taunts about Kaitou Kid from their classmate, Saguru Hakuba.

Kuroba actually said he was not in the mood, and sullenly ignored the teen detective. Akako wondered what Hakuba would do if he knew the upcoming heist would be Kid's last. There was no way he would fly out to the United States, would he? She supposed there was nothing legally stopping him, but there was no reason for Hakuba to think Kid would not strike again later, closer to home.

Which reminded her that she did not know the entire story behind Kaitou Kid. It hadn't mattered when she just wanted to possess him. He could have been a track and field athlete, or part of the music club, and it would have been the same. He was different, resistant to her charms, and that was all that had mattered.

As soon as their English lecture wrapped up, Kuroba pushed his way to her desk. She hadn't even the opportunity to put her books back in her bag.

"Lunch. Roof," he said.

"I need to go to the cafeteria to buy my lunch," said Akako coolly as she stood up.

His expression darkened. "You won't need it."

It took her a second to figure out what he meant, and then it was like a spark ran through her. Kuroba had a second lunch packed with him. Probably made by Himiko. But he was not interested in saying that he'd brought lunch for Akako where their classmates could hear.

She glanced over to Aoko Nakamori, who was currently talking with Keiko Momoi. Nakamori was not looking in their direction.

"Are you sure?" said Akako.

"Before she worries about me doing something perverted to you." He fixed a stern look in her direction and then walked out of the classroom without waiting.

Akako frowned and stalked out after him. She shouldn't be the one chasing in this relationship. A witch like her was the prize, the one that others fought for. Except for that stubborn Kaito Kuroba.

She found him up on the roof in the far corner. There was another couple he was staying well away from, and she did not recognize them. Probably students of a different year.

"Kuroba," she said.

He held up what appeared to be a cloth-wrapped bento in his hand and said, "Himiko made lunch for both of us."

"I suspected."

"Let's sit." He squatted and then took a seat without any thought to the condition of the roof beneath him.

Akako did not relish the idea of sitting on the concrete in her uniform and looked around for something she could possibly sit on.

"Come on," he said. "It's not that dirty."

"I should have brought my bag."

"Fine, fine." Kuroba rolled his eyes. "Don't let Himiko say I never did anything for you." He shrugged out of his uniform jacket and laid it down beside him, with its back to the concrete.

Akako sat on it, feeling like she was uncomfortably near Kuroba, which was strange, since she had been this close before, but back then he had been pulling away from her. Now he was annoyed, but he wasn't moving.

"Here," he said. He unwrapped the cloth and handed the second bento to her. "Tempura on rice with pickled vegetables. Himiko said it's one of your favorites."

"Thank you." She took both the bento and the chopsticks he offered. "But this can't be the only reason you asked me to come here. You could have just given this to me in the classroom with a note and I still would have eaten it."

He made a disgruntled noise in agreement and said, "What did the two of you talk about while at your place? Besides the magic stuff. She's asking if you can stay over, since it's closer for you to go to school from my house."

That clearly was not the real reason, but Akako supposed it was better than nothing. "Himiko said it feels like we're divorced when she's staying with one parent and not the other."

He grimaced. "But we're not..."

"I know." She bit into the end of a fried shrimp. "All I encouraged her to do was be honest in asking for what she wants."

"I can't give that."

"I think she knows, but she had to ask to find out."

He dug into the omelet on rice that he had for his bento. She supposed that must be one of his favorites.

"Can I ask you something?" said Akako.

"What?" His mouth was not entirely empty, muffling his voice.

"What is Pandora to you? To me, it is a gem that can enhance my magical abilities, but you aren't a witch, and Himiko said that your father was killed by these criminals you're announcing your theft to."

Kuroba stuck another bite of omelet in his mouth, then another, and for a while Akako suspected that he was going to ignore her question. Then he said, "My dad was the original Kaitou Kid. I don't know all the details myself, but he pissed off some crime organization and they had him killed for it. They made it look like an accident. I didn't know until Jii told me the truth."

"Then your father was after Pandora?"

He shrugged and ate another piece of omelet. "I don't know, but those guys who killed him _are_ looking for Pandora. They were afraid he'd find it before them. So the best way to make them pay is to make sure they don't get it. They're slippery, and I don't think the police can catch them. So I'm doing what I can my way."

Akako chewed thoughtfully on her meal. Himiko had added in sweet potato and squash along with the shrimp, and they were good. The girl would not have picked up cooking from her. Perhaps from Kuroba? Or would it have been from her servant?

"Do you know why they want Pandora?" she asked.

An organized crime ring shouldn't have much use for a magic amplifying gem, but maybe they were stupid enough to actually want immortality. That never ended well. Did they not know the story of Eos and Tithonus? Eternal life without eternal youth was meaningless.

The corner of Kaito's mouth turned up in a humorless smile. "I'll keep that a secret for now. Better you don't know. But maybe I'll tell you later, after we finish."

"More like you don't trust me," she said, "so you want to make sure we've destroyed the gem and sent Himiko off with what's left before you say anything."

Kuroba stared at her, in what appeared to be honest surprise. "But I _am_ trusting you. What I've just told you about Pandora, about my dad, only my mother and Jii know. Not even Aoko, and we grew up together. You know she hasn't a clue about what I really do, or she never would have suggested that Kid Capture Brigade."

That was true. Amazingly, it was.

Akako glanced down at her bento, unable to meet his eyes. "Thank you. Thanks for saying you trust me."

"If you want to stay over," he said slowly, "just until we finish helping Himiko, that's okay. Separate rooms though. I don't care what Himiko says, but we're not sharing one. I have her up in the guest room. You can use my mom's. Aoko lives next door though, and I'll still be going to school with her in the morning. You should leave early or late to avoid questions. I'll give you a key."

"I'll try not to impose."

He smiled. "I don't think you can any more than Himiko is already. I figure if I can put up with her for another week, I can do the same for you."

* * *

 _A/N: One of the things I was a little disappointed with in_ Magic Kaito _is that Kaito never admits he's Kaitou Kid to Akako, even though she already knows. She's proven able to keep his secret, and she has the potential to be a valuable ally. Heck, she's even gone out of her way before to help him and she didn't have to. Maybe we'd see more if Gosho Aoyama wasn't so busy with_ Detective Conan _..._

 _This chapter required more double checking than usual. I have to reread Akako narrated chapters more carefully than Kaito's because she always calls him Kuroba or by his full name, but because most of us think of Kaito by his personal name, this keeps tripping me up and I type out "Kaito" in my first drafts. This wasn't as much of a problem in chapter 3 because Kaito was off screen, but it kept happening all over the place in this chapter._


	7. Chapter 7: Teleportation

Chapter 7: Teleportation

Living with Kuroba for a week was odd. Akako arrived with enough clothes to last her stay and paid for the delivery of a lavish platter of sushi as a gift the first night of her visit, though Kuroba was predictably unenthused about the fact she was offering anything at all. It would have been more civil if he hadn't been making strange faces throughout the meal. If he didn't like sushi he should have said something.

Instead he told her that normally he ate most of his meals over at Nakamori's, but because Himiko was visiting as his cousin, it wouldn't be fair for both of them to impose, which meant that it was a good excuse for him to eat at home while Akako was staying over. They would take turns cooking.

Akako was not used to living without her servant. The idea of doing her own dishes was foreign, making her own bed was clearly outlandish, and helping clean the house appalling. But she did all of that, because Kuroba and Himiko did, and she had to admit it was a little... appealing, when the three of them sat down to dinner together, even if Kuroba had a tendency to mentally check out when spoken to.

She suspected he was still uncomfortable with the idea that they _could_ be a family. He was only trying for Himiko, and not for her. And as far as Himiko went, she seemed to be enjoying getting to know her parents as teenagers rather than adults. She asked questions, about their school life, about what they did in their free time. At least one of the three of them was happy.

The Saturday of the heist, Akako and Himiko left the house early in the morning to build the teleportation circle out on the grounds at Akako's manor. There wasn't the space at Kuroba's.

They shaped it with staves and powdered catalysts in the front of her manor, and the hunchback brought out and removed tools and jars of ingredients as they needed them. Akako marveled at how unfailingly polite Himiko was to him. He was an ugly thing her grandmother had found in her youth, and Akako had never thought much of him beyond his usefulness. She saw to his room and board, and then he did what she told him to. But to Himiko, he was like an elderly uncle, and part of the family.

"It looks perfect," said Himiko.

She stood back, admiring the circle they had created. It was twelve meters in diameter, with four concentric rings bisected by two lines that divided the circles into four quadrants. Since there were three of them, they would have to be careful when standing in the middle, so as not to ruin the lines.

The sun was still high in the sky when Akako's servant returned from putting away their tools.

"Miss Akako and Miss Himiko are very talented," said the hunchback, approving. He held up a tray with three plates of dark noodles on it. "I have prepared a lunch for you so you will not be hungry while you are away."

"Three plates?" said Akako. "There are only two of us."

And obviously, the hunchback himself did not count. He was not to dine with her.

"Master Kuroba will be along soon, won't he?" The hunchback's voice rightfully held a note of concern, but Akako decided to forgive his unexpected courtesy. It was probably Himiko's doing.

"Soba!" Himiko bounded up to the hunchback and picked up the plate peppered with the most shredded seaweed. "Mom, is it okay if we eat on the steps while we wait for Dad?"

Akako nodded. "Go ahead."

The soba was all right, especially since the hunchback had added some green onion as well, but it was not something that Akako asked for often. They had only been eating for a few minutes when she sensed someone had entered the manor grounds, and not through the front gate.

Kaito Kuroba. He could hide from the eyes of humans, but not from her magic.

Still, she frowned when he appeared before them in a burst of smoke and bowed with a flourish of his white cape. Of course he would show up as Kaitou Kid for this. It was a heist. But there was no denying it was him. In daylight, in the light of the sun, anyone who knew Kaito Kuroba would recognize him in that white outfit.

"Afternoon, ladies," he said with a charming smile.

And of course this was only time he would ever call her a lady. Akako hid her deepening frown by shoveling more soba in her mouth.

"Kaitou Kid!" Himiko squealed and tackled him into a hug.

"Careful with your food, Himiko," said Akako dryly. "You almost knocked it over getting up that fast. And Kaitou Kid, there's a plate for you too, for reasons that continue to annoy me. Someone thought it would be a good idea to eat before we go. If you haven't already have lunch, please help yourself."

He looked past her at the tray, which was now sitting at the top of the steps next to Himiko's backpack. The hunchback had gone back inside.

"It's perfectly normal, with no spells on it," said Akako.

Kid grinned. "Then I will indulge. Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Akako." He walked up the steps, picked up the plate and accompanying chopsticks, and then sat down beside her. "I see you are dressed up for this evening as well."

She glowered, not liking him this close, looking like Kaito Kuroba with a more charming personality. It infuriated her how he could be so kind as Kid and then so belligerent as Kuroba.

"I'm not going to show up for a heist dressed in my school uniform," she said.

Akako wore her silk leggings, her own cape and tiara with ornamentations of raised cobras. It was Koizumi family battle dress, as far as she was concerned. Which probably was not much different from Kuroba wearing his father's phantom thief outfit, now that she thought about it. Both of them followed a way of life set by a parent before them.

"You won't be cold?" he asked.

"If I was, what would you do about it?"

"Get you a jacket."

And for a moment he seemed more like Kuroba than Kid. Kid couldn't resist a chance to flirt, but Kuroba, who did not want Akako, was not interested.

"So romantic," she muttered.

They finished eating in relative silence, save for the sound of chewing. Akako didn't want to look at either Himiko or Kid, and she especially didn't want to see any puppy eyes that Himiko might be making at either of them. She put her empty plate back on the tray and stood up.

"It should be almost 1 now," she said. "That's 9pm in Los Angeles."

"It's a Friday night, people are coming home for the weekend. It's a perfect time to put on a show," said Kid. "My calling card is set 10pm. Let's go."

Himiko left her backpack behind on the steps, but took out a smaller bag that she slung over her shoulder.

The three of them gathered in the center of the teleportation circle, inside the innermost ring, and carefully placed their feet where they wouldn't step on any of the bisecting lines.

"If the teleportation circle is undisturbed, we can use it to call ourselves back without making a new one in Los Angeles," said Akako. "My manor grounds are warded and my servant will remain here, so we should be safe." She reached out her right hand, which Himiko took in her left, and she held the other out to Kid. "Take our hands."

He did so without hesitation, and for a moment Akako wished that had happened before. His grip was strong, and if he was afraid she could not tell. He took Himiko's free hand in his other, and the three of them stood as a fifth and final ring within the teleportation circle.

"It may be a little disorienting at first," said Akako, "but it will be quick. Himiko?"

"Channeling to you, Mom. I'm letting you set the destination."

She closed her eyes, held the hand of her daughter in her right and the hand of the boy she wanted to love in her left. Together, the three of them, across the ocean to another country... She could feel the spell seize around them, warm, the circle flaring with power, and then a sudden burst of heat.

-MK-

When she opened her eyes, it was dark, save for some lamps along a walkway through a large open space, a manicured garden of some sort. The three of them, however, were standing under some trees on the grass.

"This is Exposition Park," said Kid, taking a look around. "We're in the right place. We made it." He pointed to the north. "The museum is that way."

"It's probably ringed with police now," said Akako.

"And Kid fans." He grinned. "Don't underestimate the enthusiasm of an appreciative audience."

"I'll distract everyone outside, as planned," said Himiko, reaching into the bag she had brought with her. In a quick rustle of cloth she changed outfits to resemble Kaitou Kid, and with the speed she had done so Akako was not entirely certain whether it had been performance or real magic that had done it. "After all, I know Dad's style of magic too."

Himiko couldn't hide that she was actually a little shorter than Kaitou Kid, but in the dark, in another country, it wasn't likely anyone would notice.

"And I'll get us inside," said Akako, bringing up the mental image of the atrium inside. She had memorized a photograph they had found on the web for reference. If she knew what the place looked like and where it was, she could get them there, especially if it was only a short distance away.

The three of them approached the Museum of Natural History and they could hear the distant chants of the Kid fans devoted enough to have flown all the way from Japan. Himiko took point, staying several meters ahead of them, until she waved for them to stop. She had seen the first guards. Once she was certain her parents were still, she departed sharply on a path parallel to the crowd to begin the distraction. It was showtime.

"I'm surprised you're not more worried about her," said Akako.

"Considering who she has as parents, I think she'll be fine," said Kid. "If I worried about her capabilities at her age, I wouldn't be here at mine."

"Same."

Shouts rose up and an equal amount of smoke plumes.

"I think it's time for us to go," she said.

He took her hand, probably not knowing it was unnecessary at a distance this short, but she was grateful nonetheless. She raised her other, pointed at the museum doors, visualizing a place well past them, and closed her eyes.

In a burst of heat they were inside the dimly lit interior, behind the posed fossils of a tyrannosaurus and a triceratops locked in combat. Not letting go of her hand, Kid led her behind him on their way to the security room.

Jii had given them all his information on the walk-in vault containing the Hixon Collection and they had worked out their plan of attack in advance. Ideally Jii would have been here to help them as well, but he could not integrate himself in an American police unit with the ease he could in Japan, leaving his contributions entirely technical in nature, but they were enough.

Right now, Kaitou Kid was taking them through the blind spots in the museum's camera network, which was focused primarily on the exhibits and not necessarily the walkways between them. Then, when he came to a vent, he gestured for her to wait, and pointed to a closed staff door. She nodded and levitated him up to the grate so he could easily unscrew it and get inside.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the staff door and waved her in.

The museum security guard at the monitor bank was already unconscious. Kid had made quick work of him.

"Unfortunately that vault door is a problem," said Kaitou Kid, though his voice was bright. "I can't cut my way through it and if you look at the monitors, there are no police stationed inside. And why should there be when it's locked up tight? All the police stationed in the museum interior are in the larger mineral exhibit outside the vault, to make sure that I don't show up with some crummy blowtorch that wouldn't actually work."

"So what do you want to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to give them a knock-out performance." He grinned. "And after I'm done entertaining, I would like you to push this button here. The program is already launched and ready to go."

The computer screen he indicated listed different sets of hours of the day. It looked like the opening and closing times for the museum.

"I can't get tell the collection to open by itself," said Kid, "but opening the whole museum because it's start of the day..." He shrugged. "Just wait until after my show is over so we don't draw the attention of those outside, who are probably still enjoying a show of their own."

Changing the museum's hours of operation probably would mean all the indoor lights would come on, and that would be visible to those outside. It would be fine when Kaitou Kid was just a minute away from taking the Night's Splendor. Then the two of them could just teleport out and meet up with Himiko. But they would not want the exterior police to run back too early. Himiko was probably leading them as far away as she could, but Akako had no doubt they would turn back if they saw the status of the museum had changed.

"Then I rejoin you after this?" she said.

"Yep."

Akako turned back to the monitor bank as Kid left the room. There were about a dozen men in uniform inside the gems and mineral exhibit. Space had been cleared between the rest of the display cases so they could stand comfortably in front of the closed vault to the Hixon Collection. There had to be millions of dollars' worth of gems in that room, and being less familiar with Kaitou Kid, they were probably afraid he might damage some of it in his fight to get the Night's Splendor.

And Kaitou Kid certainly took advantage of that.

The room gave him a clear arc for lobbing a barrage of gas canisters, some of which fired from underneath the nearest displays, placed there earlier in the day courtesy of Kid's accomplice, Jii. A few officers reacted quickly enough to pull out gas masks, but most didn't. Those that did, lost them to Kid's card gun.

His work was quick, efficient, and surprisingly with less showboating than she would have expected; perhaps because he did not have his usual audience visible. He walked up to the vault door with his gas mask on and looked up at the camera.

Akako pushed the button and watched the door unlock and swivel open.

She turned, needing to leave quickly. They knew from the security detail that as soon as anything was removed from the Hixon Collection the vault door would close, which would be fine if she was in there with him, because then they would teleport out and the police would be none the wiser for the escape, but that meant he could not physically lift out the Night's Splendor until she got over to him.

Something on the screen caught her eye though. Inside the vault, moving out of the blind spots of the cameras, were four ominous men in trenchcoats.

* * *

 _A/N: Hello, readers! We're moving towards the end of the story now. :) I know new followers are still appearing, but you folks have been quiet. I can't tell if that means everyone's happy and have nothing to say, or people are bored and have nothing to say. "The Unpromised Future" is a novella, rather than a novel, so it's not intended to stretch much further. Chapter 9 will be the last one._

 _But if you are interested in further MK fic from me, please let me know. I plan out my projects based on what I know readers want, balanced with what I'm interested in writing, and what has already been written in fandom. (So even though I like Kaito x Aoko a lot, there are already a ton of Kaito x Aoko fics so I'm incredibly unlikely to do one myself. But I know there's an Akako deficit, particularly in longer stories, so I wrote "The Unpromised Future.")_


	8. Chapter 8: Escape

Chapter 8: Escape

The vault door opened before Kaito and lights flooded the exhibition chamber as though it was the middle of the day. Akako had done it right on cue. Which meant she would be joining him in a moment, once she found a safe place to teleport into. They were less certain of where the blind spots were here in relation to the photographs Jii had been able to discreetly take for them, and she was probably looking through the cameras in the vault to decide where would be best for her to appear without leaving any recording of her magic.

Kaito strode inside.

And nearly took a shot to the gut. It went through his cape instead.

'Welcome, gentlemen," he said. His pulled the rim of his top hat low as he eyed the four men in trenchcoats. Among them was the one called Snake, the field leader he had seen the most frequently. The man was instantly recognizable by his horseshoe mustache. "I've been expecting you. We're not going to make a mess of the Hixon Collection are we?"

He dropped two canisters of smoke, knowing their response would be to fire. They were not terribly concerned about leaving his body intact, and he was glad to be out of his old position by the time they riddled it with bullets.

Alarms sounded. One of the display cases had been damaged. And above that racket came the heavy whine of the vault door closing.

"Don't worry about the door!" It was Snake who shouted, rallying his men. "Get that thief!"

"One," counted Kaito.

He fired his card gun and disarmed one of the men.

"Two." He got the second.

"Three–" The third spotted him just as Kaito pulled the trigger. The card cut a gash through the man's sleeve, but missed the weapon entirely.

"You have limited tricks you can perform in a room devoid of an audience in a country full of non-Japanese," said Snake.

Kaito ducked behind one of the display cases to avoid the inevitable gunshots that came his way. He was wearing a bulletproof vest, but that didn't mean they couldn't still hurt him, and very badly at that. It would have helped if there weren't four of them, and the two he had disarmed were probably getting their weapons right now and checking them over for damage.

This was odd though. They usually didn't show up until after he had stolen a gem. Was this because they didn't know where he would go after he escaped? He hadn't approached by hang glider and if they were monitoring for Toichi Kuroba to enter the country they wouldn't have seen him in any airport.

He grinned. Teleportation would definitely be beyond them. So if he could just take care of these guys before Akako showed up...

Kaito only had one canister of sleeping gas left. He'd used too many outside, where the police had been more spread out and he'd had to make sure he'd caught them all. If he was lucky, he could get one, maybe two of them with it if they didn't notice in time.

He could hear a rough approximation of where they stood in the room by listening to the scuff of their shoes on the museum floor. Kaito took off his hat as they approached his display. This would do well enough.

With one hand he threw out his hat, which caught their attention, and their bullets, and then he leaned the other direction and rolled out the canister. It would open with an audible hiss, but not one loud enough to be noticed by a man whose ears were ringing from gunfire.

Kaito quickly scooted to another display and was rewarded by a growl of, "You idiots," from Snake.

Ideally, now would be a good time for Kid to go grab the Night's Splendor and then scoot out of the vault entirely, except that now the vault was closed, so he was shut in until Akako arrived, or the police outside finally decided to check in on their companions indoors, which would likely not go well for him. His English was accented and he hadn't seen a single Asian officer in the museum, which might have been on purpose. Interpol had probably notified them of Kid's disguise habits.

What was taking Akako? Surely if she arrived and saw the door was closed she'd know that something went wrong and he must be inside.

On the bright side, the two remaining men did not know where in the room he was. He could hear them split up, searching. It wasn't Kid's game to use force, and he still had a few more tricks. One of those self-inflating Kid dummies ought to do it. He left it behind him as he crawled behind another display. Once someone found it, they would likely react, and then in that moment of distraction...

When he heard the gunshot he jumped to his feet, card gun raised to shoot the nearest target.

But Snake was already facing him. The man in the trenchcoat fired.

Kaito felt the bullet graze his cheek; hot, burning. Wide-eyed, he returned fire, and missed.

He ducked back behind the display, and only then noticed that there were multiple holes in the wall. The man had fired multiple times, and Kaito was fortunate that only one had hit, and that it was only a flesh wound.

"Give up!" shouted Snake. "You're not making this any easier on yourself."

Suddenly, the alarm stopped and there was a moment of deafening silence. Then there was a groan and he could hear the heavy vault door begin to open.

"Looks like our escape is here," said his other assailant.

So that's how they intended to leave once they got their hands on the Night's Splendor. They had others with them. But if they were opening the door, then one of them had to be in the security room. He thought of Akako.

"My, what a party over here." It was Akako's voice, sickly sweet.

"Akako!" Kaito leaned out as he heard guns fire.

He shot one in the back of the head with his card gun, knocking him out, and he turned to Snake, but the mustached man was staring at Akako, mouth agape, as if he had never seeing anything like her before. The mustached man shook, and dropped his gun.

"I'm very, very sorry, miss. I'm so sorry!" he repeated, bowing apologetically at Akako. "If I'd know it was someone like you..."

She smiled and looked up at Kaito. There were four other men with her, also in trenchcoats, and one of them was curled at her feet, bleeding.

"Why don't you look after the injured?" she said lightly. "I have business with this thief. I want him intact, so no shooting at him."

She walked around the trenchcoat wearing men and sauntered over to Kaito, still wearing her smile.

"Have I told you that you can be a frightening sorceress?" he said.

"I realized when they were already inside the vault that they must have others helping them on the outside. So I waited until their compatriots came, and then they simply could not resist giving me a hand." She glanced at the men who were bandaging the injured. "So what do we do with them?"

"How long can your power keep them?"

"Normally it will last until I leave the room. I need to be in sight of them and they need to be able to recognize me for who I am. With preparation I can do more, but I don't have that now."

"Then let's shut that door. Did you reset the alarm?"

She nodded. "There's a second switch to open the door, hidden in the room outside. It's activated by keycard and passcode, which one of these men had. That's how they got the door to open again. I had him re-arm the alarm while we were opening the door."

"Good. Let's get the Night's Splendor."

"Miss, you really shouldn't let him take that gem!" It was Snake who spoke, his voice frantic, but with Akako's power over him, he couldn't disobey her. It was an eerie thing to see in a grown man instead of a lovestruck high school student.

"I want that gem," said Akako imperiously. "He is getting it for me. Is that all right?"

The response was an immediate backtrack. "Of... Of course."

"Scary," Kaito muttered.

But he walked up to the case containing the Night's Splendor. It had been undamaged in the fighting, and now that he was close he could the deep and lustrous black that had given the sapphire its name. He studied the case for a moment, and then decided that Jii's assessment made during his own sweep of the room was the best one. The glass would be resistant to smashing, but lockpicks would do.

He worked quickly, mostly ignoring the groans of the men behind him, pleading for Akako to change her mind. Akako stood beside him, occasionally glancing at them, but mostly watching him.

"I've never seen you work before," she said.

"You won't again after this."

"Maybe not as a thief."

He popped the case open and removed the Night's Splendor. "Time to go," he said, stuffing it in his breast pocket. He lifted his card gun and shot one of the other displays, causing the alarm to reactive and the door to shut again.

"Stay!" shouted Akako, when the trenchcoat men panicked and got to their feet. "You wouldn't dream of leaving before a lady, would you?"

Kaito smiled to himself. This might not be how he had expected to apprehend them, but this would do. Even if Kaitou Kid was involved, clearly these men had no business being in this vault in the middle of the night, and perhaps after enough questioning, the police could bring them to justice for other things.

He could see the fear in their eyes, knowing that their freedom was lost, but unable to go against Akako's wishes.

"So which corner do we squeeze into to get out of here unnoticed?" he asked.

She glanced the cowering men and then back at Kaito. "Do you have any more smoke bombs? After I leave they won't remember why they were so considerate to me, but they'll certainly remember if I disappeared right in front of them."

"Of course," said Kaito. "Just for you."

"I'd like to believe that." Akako pointed along the far wall and said, "This vault is well covered, but that's where one of these men were hiding. They had to spread out to take advantage of the blind spots, and judging from the camera angle there's just barely enough room for the two of us to fit."

They walked over together and Kaito stood with his back against the wall. "So they were standing like this?"

She nodded and stepped up close to him, really close.

"Is this necessary?" he asked.

"I'm trying to get out of the camera," she muttered, "just in case your smoke is not enough."

He grinned. "In that case you're not doing it right." He swept out his cape and wrapped her tight against him. "Let's go," he said, and he dropped the smoke capsule at his feet.

The sensation of heat flashed around them both, and when the smoke disappeared they were outside, a short distance away from the museum. Akako pushed away, and he caught a glimpse of her face, flushed with red. She was much cuter when caught off guard, but he could tell there was something else in the way she had pulled her shoulders tight that said she had not been flattered by the unexpected attention.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "I wasn't thinking."

Akako straightened herself and, without turning around, said, "Never mind. Let's go meet Himiko."

Their daughter was waiting for them under the tree they had teleported to from Japan. She was no longer dressed as Kid, and broke into a smile when she saw them both. "Success?" she asked.

"Success," said Kaito. "But just to be sure..."

He stepped out from under the tree just long enough to hold the Night's Splendor up to the moon. It shone a deep purple when the moonlight passed through it, but there was an additional tinge of red in the center, where the composition of the stone had changed. There was clearly another gem was inside.

This was it. This was definitely it. He could barely keep his hand from shaking as he put the sapphire back in his pocket. Kaito turned around and smiled to Himiko. "This is definitely Pandora. So I think it's time we go home and finish up what we need to do to save your dad."

He held out his hands to Himiko and Akako. Himiko told hold of him readily, Akako more tentatively, and she did not look at him before she closed her eyes. He probably should not have been so forward, but it had been so easy to do as Kid, and most other girls would have been flattered. But for Akako, he could see why it was complicated. It was like dangling a carrot she could never have.

Kaito held her hand, hoping that it was tight enough to be reassuring, and to convey his apologies. Then a ring of red appeared beneath them and the world dissolved into heat.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for the comment, FreeWeirdGal. Yeah, I know most people tend to stretch things out. I guess the difference is that I usually pre-plan everything so I don't need to wait for the muse to hit. I know the agony of waiting and wondering when a new chapter is going to show up, so I just try not to do that. :)_

 _This chapter was a bit of a tough one to write, which is funny because I've done a lot of action scenes before, but the ones in Magic Kaito rarely get that dangerous compared to others due to the light-hearted nature of the series. While writing this chapter I also came to realize that we if take Akako at her word about all men in the world being unable to resist her, she has a automatic "I win" button for any conflict against any other male character (barring Kaito)._


	9. Chapter 9: The Unpromised Future

Chapter 9: The Unpromised Future

They appeared out on the manor grounds in the center of the teleportation circle, which burned red around every sigil, every line of its being, until it suddenly flared and vanished entirely. The sun was low in the sky and Akako's hunchbacked servant sat on the manor steps with an unlit lantern on one side and Himiko's backpack on the other.

"Welcome back, Miss Akako, Miss Himiko, Master Kuroba," said the hunchback. He stood up and extended one arm towards the door behind him. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Can't we just crush Pandora out here?" said Kaito.

He was not certain he wanted to see the inside of Akako's manor. It looked like a haunted house, the kind that people got lost inside of in horror movies, and if she could ward restaurants against magical spying while casually walking inside, he didn't want to know what kind of setup she might have inside her actual home where she did not need to be nearly so circumspect.

"But if we're going to crush Pandora, we really should get the tools Mom has in her laboratory," said Himiko. "Using magic to destroy something this powerful would–"

"Probably cause a rebound," said Akako. "That is fine. I do not need to be the one to destroy it. You just need a piece of the gem, right? Kid can crush whatever is left on his own using mundane tools that do not risk causing a magical backlash. It _is_ his vengeance after all."

"Well... That's true, but..."

"Is that safe to do?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Himiko. "I was just hoping..."

For more time with her parents. She was easy to read.

Akako turned to the hunchback and said, "You, go inside."

Her servant bowed. "As you wish, Miss Akako. I will prepare some tea for when you are ready to come in." He turned and disappeared into the house, leaving the three of them alone in the yard.

"I'll handle destroying Pandora on my own then," said Kaito. "As gems go, sapphires are pretty tough, but they're not unbreakable. I have own set of gem-working tools at home, and they won't involve magic, so I should be safe. But before I do, what does Akako need to do to give you a piece of it?"

"Hand it over to her," said Himiko.

Kaito kept his expression confident and relaxed, a perfect poker face, as he plucked Pandora from his pocket and held it out in a gloved hand to Akako. If ever he needed to trust her, now was the time. She did help him obtain it, and capture some of the men responsible for his father's death. If that did not count for at least a measure of goodwill on her part, then nothing ever would.

At the very least, he doubted she would take control of him in front of their daughter. Himiko would not let that go unchallenged.

Akako looked at his face, trying to read him, and then carefully took the gem in her hand. She held it between her thumb and index finger and due to its shape it looked rather like a shiny black kiwi fruit. With a finger of her other hand she vertically traced two lines from top to bottom as though carving out a slice.

The gem glowed red where she had touched it and then she smoothly pulled out the sliver as though it had always been cut. She handed it to Himiko and Kaito could see that the core was dark and smooth, except the slightest crimson tinge in the portion that had been in the center.

"Don't forget to take a second piece," said Himiko, as she walked over to put the sliver in her backpack. "It's possible what happened to my dad could happen to the present Kaito Kuroba as well."

Akako sighed and said, "Very well." She carved out a second piece, identical to the first, and handed both it and the rest of Pandora back to Kaito. "You can do what you want with these."

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked down at the shard in one hand and what remained of Pandora in the other. There was still a good three quarters of the gem he would have to do away with. It was too bad there wasn't a good way to deliver the powder to the man in charge of the organization that had killed Toichi Kuroba, but with some of their men arrested, the Night's Splendor failing to return, and Kaitou Kid disappearing again, they should be able to put the pieces together. Kid had beaten them to Pandora, and now it was gone for good.

"I'm a little surprised," he said to Akako. "You could do a lot with just the shard."

"I... I want the future Himiko comes from," said Akako. "I don't want to ruin the chance of that happening because I forced you."

Kaito swallowed, uncertain of what he could possibly say.

After a moment of awkward silence, he looked over to Himiko, who had picked up her backpack, but had yet to sling it over her shoulder. "Don't you need to get back?"

"I do, but..." She shook her head. "I'm really bothered that you don't love Mom."

Kaito smiled kindly, hoping it was the face he would use if and when he became a father. "That's all right. It takes time to fall in love, and just because I don't love her now doesn't mean that I won't eventually. You've been adamant this whole time that your parents' love was not forced. You don't expect us to force it now, do you?"

Himiko trembled, and Kaito thought she might be in the verge of tears, but she pulled herself up in a motion that reminded him of what Akako had done when they had teleported out of the museum. She was like her mother, just like she was like him.

"I don't," she said. "But I will hope for you, Dad."

She hugged him and he patted her head. "That's a good girl," he said.

Himiko reluctantly let go and walked over to Akako. "I'll hope for you too, Mom."

Akako said nothing, but embraced Himiko with more than words could say.

Their daughter walked a short distance away from them, and then rooted in her backpack until she took out that cheesy wooden picture frame containing the photo of her family. She slung her bag over her shoulders and stretched out her arms, holding the frame in front of her. Himiko ran a finger over the diecast metal roller coaster and it sparked red at her touch.

"I'll see you again," she said, and she smiled.

A whirl of color and warmth opened above her, similar to the one Kaito had seen the moment she had arrived, and with a final look to her parents, she disappeared into the vortex. It closed behind her in a blast of heat, and then there were only two of them in the courtyard, as if there had never been a third.

Akako came to stand beside him. "Do you really mean what you told her?" she asked. "That you might eventually fall in love with me?"

"I wasn't lying," he said. "It's possible."

She could be scary. She could be forceful. But she was still a girl, with all the sensitivities and insecurities that came with being one. Though her heart had been frozen, it would be beautiful in the thaw. Perhaps if Kid had come to a point where he needed another partner, it would not have been so bad to have her at his side.

Kaito held out the second shard she had carved from Pandora and offered it to her. "Here. I would like you to keep it."

She flushed red. "But why?"

"Even if I fell ill like my other self I wouldn't be able to use it on my own. I'm not a witch. And Himiko had told me that because you had shaped it from Pandora, it would be attuned to you and no one else. So I'm going to entrust you with my heart, and my freedom, and for you to choose whether or not to save me should anything happen."

Her hand shook as she reached for it, her touch tentative and light, and when she plucked the sliver of Pandora from his palm it was quick, as though afraid he would change his mind. She held it close, over her heart, and looked up at him as if afraid to see the expression on his face.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he said with a smile.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

The two of them were dressed as witch and phantom thief, perhaps for the last time. With Pandora's destruction there would no longer be any need for him to be Kid again, which meant that Inspector Nakamori was no longer going to have so many late nights, and Aoko would not have as many evenings alone without her father. Kid fans would be disappointed, but they would fade, and maybe he could starting thinking about his life after high school.

His mother had spoken about Las Vegas, and once he finished school it might not be such a bad idea to try to get a gig there. He would have to work on his English, but he knew he had a good flexibility for voices, so it was just a matter of improving his fluency.

But looking at Akako, he realized that there was one thing he did need to take care of before it was no longer fair. He said, "I'm going to go confess my feelings to Aoko."

She turned away. "Of course you would. Now that you no longer need to be Kaitou Kid she will not have any reason to dislike you."

There were plenty of reasons she might dislike him anyway, given all the crap he'd piled on her over the years, but it had been good-natured crap, or at least he hoped she similarly thought of it that way.

"It's not just that," said Kaito. "If it was left up to me, I'm not really looking for a girlfriend right now. It's one of those things that's fun to think about, but when I look at you and know what you want... I'm not free to give that without being honest with myself first. If I was to ask anyone, it would be Aoko, so I need to know how she feels, because I do care about her, and I don't want to keep you waiting to see if we have a future together."

She lifted her head, just a little, enough to show she had heard.

"Listen," he said. "If Aoko is interested in dating me, then you'll know you're free to do what you wish. You won't need to wait around wondering if things will change between us."

"And if she is not?" she asked.

He laughed weakly and said, "It would hurt for a while. I can't lie about that. But after that the two of us will set up a date and see how things go. You won't use any of your magic and I'll bring flowers. It'll be a real date, not like the cafe."

Akako smiled, but it was sad. "You know how to make a girl hope, and it will make it all the more painful when that hope is dashed. There's no way that Nakamori will say no."

"Hey, don't cry." He reached out to her, but stopped, arms partially raised, uncertain how she would take it after their exit from the museum.

"I won't," she said. "Just like no matter how upset Himiko would get, she never would."

To his surprise she stepped into his arms and held him tight, leaning into him so he could not see her face. "This time, it's all right," said Akako. "Just this time, because it's good-bye."

"You don't know the future," he said, folding his arms around her. "Just because you think Aoko will agree, doesn't mean she will, because there is at least one reality where we did fall in love, so something must have happened. And who knows? Maybe in this reality, you will find someone you love even more."

"But I don't want to."

If there had been no Aoko, if he hadn't already known her, he could see his other self's attraction to Akako. If this was that his other self had seen, this softer Akako, who was no longer concerned about enthralling him with her magic, then he could see how he could have fallen in love. But Aoko was here, and there was no changing that.

"It'll be all right," he said softly. "Whatever happens, you will be free to move on with your life, with or without me."

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you all for reading! "The Unpromised Future" was originally a spin-off of a story I outlined called "An Honest Magic," which is a romance in which Kaito and Akako fall in love (which eventually leads to Himiko's timeline)._

 _I outlined both stories within days of each other, but wasn't as happy with "An Honest Magic" even though it was done first. I did like the spin-off idea though, where Kaito's daughter from "An Honest Magic" crossed over into the original timeline where Kaito is still interested in Aoko and repulsed by Akako, because it would lead into all the bickering and awkward moments that I wrote for this story._

 _I wasn't sure whether it was a wise idea to run with a daughter from a timeline I hadn't written, but figured it would just place the reader in the same position as Kaito and Akako, which would be all right. I hope that turned out to be the case._

 _For those looking for more Akako fanfics, as of this writing I would recommend "The Princess and the Moon" by queen misanagi, which is in the Detective Conan section of FFnet, but pickings are unfortunately on the slim side._

 _If any readers would like to keep in touch, feel free to PM me or follow me on tumblr (link is in my profile). I expect my next project will be my_ Guilty Crown _sequel to_ Little Heart _, but after that I'd be interested in doing another round of_ Magic Kaito _if the interest is there._


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